Re: Old Charter Question

During the time your Old Charter was made, both Bernheim and Ancient Age were owned by Schenley. Old Charter was a Bernheim brand when Schenley acquired Bernheim, but there's no reason they couldn't have done some production at Ancient Age if there was slack time in Frankfort.

Re: Old Charter Question

Does anyone know if any bottling was done at Bernheim? If there was, I've never seen pictures, heard it mentioned. Bottling means finished goods distribution too. When distilleries are consolidating, bottling is usually the first thing to go. I wonder if everything was being bottled in Frankfort? So much consolidation occurred during the 1980s, it's hard to keep track of who owned what when. Complicating that, even when ownership changes, production agreements are sometimes part of the deal. I have no doubt that Buffalo Trace continued to produce for Schenley after they sold the distillery to Age International.

Re: Old Charter Question

The bourbon having one name, the distillery having another and the ownership having a completely different name gets me all mixed up when I sit and try to timeline this bottle. Not to mention two different cities being listed on the label.

Is there a data base for ATF numbers? If this bourbon was bottled around 1984, that means the juice could have been distilled and barreled sometime around the millionth (spelling?) barreling in the distilleries history.

Re: Old Charter Question

Old Charter was a brand owned by Schenley, but the whiskey was made at various places such as Bernheim and Ancient Age. In 1984 AA went independent, but a lot of the whiskey in their warehouses remained Schenley whiskey. With the tax stamp on the bottle, I suspect this whiskey is pre sale and the whiskey was made at Bernheim and bottled at Ancient Age. After they sold AA, Schenley bottled at their Lawrenceburg, Indiana plant until they were acquired by U D and then bottling was at Old Fitzgerald.
Mike Veach

Re: Old Charter Question

Originally Posted by bourbonv

Old Charter was a brand owned by Schenley, but the whiskey was made at various places such as Bernheim and Ancient Age. In 1984 AA went independent, but a lot of the whiskey in their warehouses remained Schenley whiskey. With the tax stamp on the bottle, I suspect this whiskey is pre sale and the whiskey was made at Bernheim and bottled at Ancient Age. After they sold AA, Schenley bottled at their Lawrenceburg, Indiana plant until they were acquired by U D and then bottling was at Old Fitzgerald.
Mike Veach